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A little over a week ago, news arrived that a package of $87.5 million was being allotted to the West Virginia Division of Highways with the aim of replacing the Market Street Bridge.
The funding, coming from the federal Bridge Investment Program which was included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, was initially announced by U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, with releases from Sen. Sherrod Brown and Sen. Joe Manchin coming later in the day.
For months, we have had to deal with the uncertain future of the Market Street Bridge as the DOH decided to close it to traffic in December after several inspections showed an increasing rate of deterioration to its support structure.
Crews have been on hand for another inspection in recent weeks to gather more information, but, let's face it, we know the bridge, as it stands now, will not reopen.
That knowledge, combined with last week's announcement, has been met both with excitement and criticism from residents who are, understandably, frustrated with the current interstate infrastructural deficits. It hasn't helped that the bridge was closed in the midst of a years-long project on the nearby Veterans Memorial Bridge, the need for which has still never received a full explanation from state officials.
Some comments on recent reports on the Market Street Bridge have been as varied as believing it is a "simple" fix to get the span back into working order. Others have wondered whether the 10-year projections on getting a new bridge in place are realistic.
There are some who have pointed to the Veterans Memorial Bridge and the bridge south of Wellsburg - which still doesn't have an official name - and questioned whether a new bridge is needed. Others, meanwhile, have suggested the possibility of constructing a bridge in the New Cumberland area, providing another link for Hancock County residents.
Again, the frustrations are understandable. During the maximum construction times on the Veterans bridge, drivers often would use Market Street to bypass the work zones if they were heading across the Ohio River. The Wellsburg bridge is a more lengthy detour than most of us would prefer.
We also look back at the decades it took to get that Wellsburg bridge developed, although so much of that was the result of lengthy processes to get through red-tape, to lobby our state and federal governments for support and the money necessary, and studies to select a location.
Officials at all levels seem to be focused that a new bridge would be built either at the current Market Street site or somewhere nearby. Much of that was actually decided back when the Wellsburg bridge was being planned. There were priorities set back then which looked at where infrastructural investment was needed and when.
That was all before the Fort Steuben Bridge was taken down, but it was with the knowledge that Market Street would probably not be too far behind. It's age was extended a bit with upgrades more than a decade ago, but that doesn't mean it would remain forever.
Something new was always going to be needed.
A big chunk of the funding for the new bridge is accounted for thanks to the Infrastructure Act, which means the biggest concern will be getting something designed and the project out to bid. Theoretically, that could put the project somewhere around that 10-year projection.
It's an inconvenient situation. Some of you may want to use stronger words to describe it. At the same time, after watching our area struggle for years, often feeling overlooked by the officials in Charleston and Washington, D.C., this investment should help to give us a bigger start toward making sure we don't have to worry about something similar for a long time.
(Howell, a resident of Colliers, is managing editor of The Weirton Daily Times, and can be contacted at chowell@weirtondailytimes.com or followed on Twitter/X @ChowellWDT)